More than 400 TSA officers test positive for coronavirus; a third employee dies in Atlanta

Curtis Tate / USA TODAY

Wednesday

Apr 15, 2020 at 3:32 PM

A third Transportation Security Administration employee has died of the coronavirus, according to the agency, and 405 officers have tested positive at 51 airports.

The TSA said Tuesday that Dian Phipps, an officer at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International who had been with the agency for 14 years, died on Monday.

"His co-workers over the years remember him as a kind and humble person who was always fun to be around, as well as being a talented singer," the agency said in a statement. "We offer our heartfelt condolences to Dian’s family, friends and his TSA colleagues."

The Atlanta airport is one of TSA's coronavirus hot spots, with 12 officers testing positive, 11 of them involved in passenger screening.

The New York region has the highest concentration of coronavirus cases among TSA officer, with 155 testing positive.

JFK International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports account for all but three of the TSA coronavirus cases in the New York area. JFK has the highest number in the country, with 85, followed by Newark, with 44.

Three Florida airports — Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Orlando international — have a total of 40 cases.

The outbreak of coronavirus among TSA officers comes as the agency reports a record low number of travelers. On Tuesday, 87,534 travelers passed through airport security checkpoints, compared with more than 2.2 million on April 14 a year ago.

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